Town to Restructure to Better Prepare for Growth

On Monday, November 8, Council approved a new organizational structure for the Town of Saugeen Shores. The structure reduces the number of departments from six to four, plus the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. It will better position the Town for growth, and help ensure they can meet increasing demands, achieve priorities and deliver quality services to residents for years to come.

The new structure will take approximately two years to roll out. It also supports seven new positions to fill service gaps, if approved in the 2022 Budget. The recommendation to restructure is the result of a Municipal Service Delivery Review led by Strategy Corp that has been underway since the spring. The review identifies three key improvement opportunities for the Town:

• organizational modernization
• establishment of key performance indicators
• financial improvement

In addition to restructuring, the Town will also begin a process to start developing stronger measures and service levels to improve how departments monitor and evaluate success. As well, the municipality will take steps to improve the Town’s processes related to annual budgets and financial reporting.

“We engaged Strategy Corp so we could learn how we can improve as an organization and better serve our community,” said Mayor Luke Charbonneau. “Saugeen Shores is a growing community, so we can’t stand still. We need to modernize, be more efficient, and work together so we can continue to provide the services that make our community a desirable place to call home and have a business.”

The full Municipal Service Delivery Review report, including the new structure, is available on the Town’s website.